 Cellular reproduction may not always proceed

normally. Sometimes accidents happen, which

results in one less or one more chromosome in
the nucleus.
 When this happens, retardation and other
abnormalities may occur. The type of
abnormality depends on which particular gene
is in excess or lacking.
 For example, Down’s syndrome, or mongolism,
occurs when an egg acquires both members of
the pair of chromosomes 21. This can happen if
the said pair did not separate during meiosis I
and the said egg is fertilized by a normal sperm
cell. This condition is known to occur in the
pregnancy of women above 35 years old. Other
examples of abnormalities brought about by the
failure of a pair of chromosomes to separate are
harelip, polydactyl (having one more finger or toe),
and defective eye development.
sometimes, a piece of chromosome breaks
off and gets lost. Losing chromosome 5, for
example, results in an individual with a round and
moon-like face, and is physically and mentally
retarded. Losing one chromosome 22 results in
leukemia.
The use of drugs and other medicines, such
as antihistamines, tranquilizers, and hallucinogens
during pregnancy has been known to cause
chromosome failures.
Down’s syndrome/mongolism

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Harelip

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Polydactyl

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